


I Had a Dream (I Could Fly From the Highest Swing)

by paradis



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-12
Updated: 2011-09-12
Packaged: 2017-10-23 16:27:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/252410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paradis/pseuds/paradis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gracie dreamt of flying, of quiet and peace, of parents who loved each other again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Had a Dream (I Could Fly From the Highest Swing)

**Author's Note:**

> Title is taken from Priscilla Ahn's _Dream_ The story itself is also inspired by this song.

Grace was only five when the fighting started, but she remembers it like it was yesterday, sadly enough. She remembers Danno and her mom yelling and screaming and even though she was in her room or outside, she could hear them loud and clear, words of hate flying back and forth. And then three months later, her mom tearfully packing her pink suitcase and telling her that when she got home from school, they’d be going to a hotel to stay for a little while – just while mommy and Danno got things sorted out. Grace remembers thinking that it didn’t sound right, because her mom _never_ called daddy Danno.

She remembers that for the long months of autumn, before the split, before the nights in the hotel, she would play outside. They had a small house in the suburbs with an even smaller backyard. But her dad had built her a swing set just the year before, spending the short months of spring working hard on it so she would have the entire summer to play with it. She took comfort in the swing set as she tried to drown out her parent’s shouts and the sound of shattering plates against hardwood floors.

Grace would close her eyes and pump her legs until she got going as high as she could, and then kick her legs straight out in front of her. Then she’d tilt her head back and _dream._ Gracie dreamt of flying, of quiet and peace, of parents who loved each other again. Gracie dreamt of the year before, when Danno came home from work and pushed her on the swing as the sun was setting, high, high, high as the trees, until she was breathless from laughing and he was grinning down at her and telling her she’d fly right up into the setting sun. Gracie dreamt of somewhere else, somewhere where no one was hurting and everyone was getting along. Gracie dreamt of somewhere where there wasn’t a haunted look in her father’s eyes and a look of deep hatred and dark depression in her mother’s. She dreamt as high as the swing itself.

Gracie remembers when her mom told her that she was marrying Step-Stan. She remembers thinking that she’d never seen that look of joy on her mother’s face when she was with Danno – at least not that she could remember. Maybe when she was a baby, but not since she’d been old enough to carry memories around. Rachel had calmly told her and then waited for Grace’s reaction with fingers tapping against the table top. When Gracie had finally smiled and asked if that meant they could get a bunny, she’d burst out laughing and hugged Gracie tight. Gracie had gotten to be the flower girl in the wedding and her mother had even done sparkly makeup on her eyes for her.

But she remembers that weekend she’d gone to the house and Danno looked worse than he had since the divorce. She’d gone outside and sat on the swing for a long time before she kicked her legs up, got her speed and started _dreaming._ This time Gracie dreamt that Danno would find someone who made his eyes sparkle like they did when he laughed with her.

Grace remembers when her mother told her they were moving to Hawaii. First she asked if Danno was coming, and Rachel had given her an uncertain look and told her that it would have to be his decision, because when she said they were moving to Hawaii, she meant Grace and Rachel and _Step-Stan._ Then Grace threw the mother of all fits, screaming and stomping and refusing to do anything until Rachel let her go to Danno’s house.

When she’d gotten to the house, she’d bypassed Danno’s arms completely and ran to the backyard and the swing set and jumped on. She swung hard and fast and closed her eyes so tight she saw little bursts of yellows and purples and reds. And then she’d _dreamt._ Dreamt of Danno moving to Hawaii, of Danno and her mom getting back together, or even of Danno and her mother getting along, dreamt of being able to have her dad tuck her in every night like he used to. When the sun set, Danno came out and pulled her gently off the swing. She hadn’t even realized she was sobbing until he wiped her tears away with his shirtsleeve. “I’m coming with you, Gracie,” he whispered. “Wherever you are, I am, okay Monkey?” Gracie slept in Danno’s bed that night and never felt safer.

In the morning, she asked if she could bring the swing set with her.

\--

Hawaii is different. It’s brighter and dryer than New Jersey, even on the sunniest day back in New Jersey. There’s a trail of sand everywhere and Grace is unsure at first if she likes it. Step-Stan is excited to show them the new house and Grace thinks it’s okay, but she likes the house that her Mom and Danno had back in New Jersey. Then she sees the backyard. “There’s no swing set,” she says to them, and they exchange a look before Step-Stan offers her a smile.

“I’ll buy you one,” he says, not unkindly. “Maybe one with a playhouse.”

But Grace just shakes her head because she doesn’t _want_ one with a playhouse. She wants the one that Danno built her that was wooden and maybe never sat just right in the backyard but was _perfect_ for her, because Danno made it. “No,” she says softly. “It’s fine.” And she goes back in the house.

Danno arrives in Hawaii three weeks later and gets her that weekend. He shows her the apartment and Grace can tell that he thinks it’s not enough, but if Grace is honest with herself, she likes it better than the entire Step-Stan mansion. “I love my room, daddy,” she whispers that night when he’s tucking her in. Danno is sleeping on the pull out and has given her a room with a twin sized bed and a toy-box and it’s a gorgeous lavender color.

Danno beams down at her and his blue eyes sparkle. “I’m glad, Monkey,” and he flicks the lights off.

\--

Gracie likes Steve a lot. He’s different from anyone else she’s met here in Hawaii, and he’s kind. She can tell he’s probably awkward around kids, but she tries to make it easy for him, and soon enough, he’s well-adjusted with her. They laugh and joke together and give Danno small heart attacks often enough. Soon enough, she notices that he’s making Danno’s eyes sparkle like they used to when she was younger. Like they still do when Grace begs him to pick her up and put her on his shoulders.

Grace thinks Steve might be the perfect match for Danno, but she’s pretty sure Danno never wants to take the chance again. She loves her mom endlessly, but she knows that her mom was rough on Danno; knows they were rough on each other but that her mom put Danno through a lot of paces. Now Danno’s rocky and unstable when it comes to finding another person to put the sparkle in his eye.

When Danno’s got her one weekend, she begs him and Steve to take her to the park so she can swing. Once they get there, she immediately takes the first available swing and starts pumping her legs. Once she’s high enough, she tips her head back and closes her eyes and _dreams._ She dreams that Steve is the right person for Danno and that Danno isn’t afraid anymore. She dreams that they live happily ever after at Steve’s house on the beach and that maybe they get a puppy. She dreams that Danno smiles more and more with each passing day. When she opens her eyes again, she finds Steve smiling at her. “You’re going to fly right out of the swing-seat,” he tells her. She offers him a toothy grin.

“I’m good at this,” she tells him. “I used to have a swing set. Danno used to push me. And then I pushed myself.” Danno is now buying them all shave ice while Gracie swings and Steve watches her.

Steve studies her with a look on his face for a minute and then asks, “Do you want me to push you?”  
Grace beams at him, “Please, would you Uncle Steve?” There’s a moment’s hesitation, surprise, at the term of endearment before he smiles so wide that Gracie thinks his face might split and her heart beats a little faster. But then he steps behind her and slowly begins pushing.

Before she knows it, he’s swinging her high, high, high enough she thinks she’ll touch the palm trees and she’s breathless with laughter and he’s grinning down at her as the swing slows down. Danno comes back with the shave ice and looks at them, asking, “What, what, what’d I miss?”

And Gracie just looks at him and can see that even though he’s asking, he saw everything and he enjoyed watching the two of them play, enjoyed seeing them get along, so she says, “Uncle Steve was pushing me on the swing, Danno! He can go almost as high as you!” And her father just smiles slow; it spreads all the way to his eyes as he hands the shave ice out.

“Well,” he says, “It’s good to know I hold the record as the best swing-pusher.”

And _Uncle,_ Grace thinks, is so much better than _step_ anyways.

\--

Grace isn’t surprised when Danno explains what he and Steve are to each other. “We love each other,” he says slowly, taking her hand in one of his, and Steve’s in the other, so they’re sitting in a circle in the living room of Steve’s – and now Danno’s – house. Grace stares up at him for a moment before a slow smile spreads across her face.

“You love each other forever?” She asks. Her dad looks at her surprised for a moment.

“What – I – yes, Gracie, yes,” he says. “We love each other forever. It – it took me a while, but I love Steve – forever.”

“I know, Danno,” she nods. “You had to open up. But,” she lets go of his hand and then crawls up into his lap like she’s still five instead of eight and whispers into his ear, “I swung for you.”

Danno looks at her for a long moment and Gracie swears there are tears at the corners of his eyes, and he holds her tighter than he usually does whenever he hugs her. Things are getting better and better with each passing day, Gracie knows this, and for the most part, she’s happy with her life. “Thank you, Monkey,” he whispers back. “Danno loves you.”

Two months later, when she gets to Danno and Steve’s house for the weekend, they’re in the backyard waiting for her. Waiting behind them is the swing set they built together for her. Gracie jumps into their arms and then onto the swing. She pumps her legs and once she’s high enough, tips her head back, closes her eyes and _dreams._

She dreams that everything stays the same.


End file.
